The Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik Jewish Studies Center

Erected in 2002, the Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik Jewish Studies Center is the center of Jewish activity at the College of Charleston. Located in the heart of the historic campus, the Center houses the administrative offices for the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program, a lounge and office for the Jewish Student Union/Hillel and the offices of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina, as well as offices for some of the professors that teach in the Jewish Studies Program. It also offers a state of the art conference room, the Rabbi Hirsch Levin Judaica Library, and Arnold Hall, a large all-purpose meeting room with an adjoining pantry that accommodates events, lectures, and banquets. The third floor currently houses the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs and offices associated with its various publications. A forthcoming renovation to the third floor will create a suite of offices for the Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture, the Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies, and the forthcoming Center for Israel Studies.

The original building was a three-story 12,000 square foot facility at the corner of Glebe and Wentworth Streets, immediately across the street from Grace Episcopal Church and one house down from the President’s House. It is the site formerly occupied by Peroclene Cleaners, a dry cleaning operation run by Jerold and Lilah Hirschman. The Center was designed by Rosenblum/Coe Architects and built by M.B. Kahn Construction.

The building is named after the late Sylvia Vlosky Yaschik, a kind woman of valor and a pillar of the Charleston Jewish community. Mother of three daughters and grandmother of six grandchildren, Sylvia was associated with most every Jewish organization in Charleston, often in a leadership capacity. The Jewish Studies Center is a fitting tribute to her well-lived life.

An addition to the Jewish Studies Center opened in January 2016, doubling the size of the building, including additional classroom space and Marty's Place, a College of Charleston dining hall offering kosher, vegan and vegetarian options. Under the supervision of the Kosher Commission of Charleston (KCC) and operated by Aramark, the dining hall accepts the student meal plan, dining dollars, as well as cash and credit transactions, and is open to the wider Charleston community for dine-in or take-out. Hours of operation are Monday - Thursday from 11am - 8pm and Fridays from 11am - 3 pm.